Google pushing Ice Cream Sandwich release up to October?

Getting a bit sick of those endless helpings of Gingerbread and Honeycomb being forced down our throats in the mobile market right now?

Well, it looks like Google may be preparing to launch the next version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich – sooner than we thought.

From what we know so far ICS is set to be a pivotal release for the Android platform, as it's likely to bring the divergent smartphone and tablet strains of Google's mobile OS back into a single line.

And according to BGR sources, Google is looking to push its introduction forward to as early as October in an attempt to cover off Apple's iPhone 5 launch – the reason being it doesn't want customers coming out of contracts and being faced with a choice between a nice shiny new iPhone 5 and yet another variation on the existing Gingerbread theme.

Plausible thinking, we have to say, though it may be a brave move to plan your entire strategy on the movements of your chief rival. Especially when it's abundantly clear that few people outside of the Apple inner circle have any clear fix on just what the next-gen handset will offer.